Take The Stoopid Out Of The Super Bowl. Please.

Yes, this is too short to be a real post. Yes, you probably don't need me to say this because you already know it. And maybe I don't have to say it. But how much can it hurt?

Please do not drink and drive today. Please make arrangements in advance so that you won't drink and drive. Why in advance?

If you go to the party without having made safe plans in advance, like staying home, walking home, public transportation, taxi, designated driver, not using intoxicants AT ALL, the person who decides how you will get home (you) may be intoxicated. And intoxicated people do not make good decisions. Put another way, you don't want to find yourself asking yourself or somebody else who has been drinking, "Am I ok to drive?" That is a foolproof road to a disaster. If you ask that, it's already too late.

I spare you the parade of horrors of what can happen. Let's just say in passing that I'm professionally well acquainted with all of them. And I know I'm going to hear more of them on Monday.

So I ask only this. It's still early. The parties probably haven't started. Please. Please take just a minute and figure out how you are going to get home safe and sound without driving. Then you can relax and responsibly have a good time.

--
cross-posted at dailyKos as a public service

New York Has Statewide DWI Checkpoints This Weekend

This is not a surprise. And they're not even trying to keep it a secret. New York State DMV has announced that from today through Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, they're conducting DWI checkpoints all across the state:

The second of seven STOP-DWI crackdown periods across New York this year is under way and will continue through St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, the state Department of Motor Vehicles has announced.

During the enforcement wave, state, county and local law enforcement agencies will be out in force, using sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to deter drunk driving and ensure road safety, according to a news release.

Motorists are reminded that driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or higher will put them over the limit and under arrest, the release says.

The first STOP-DWI crackdown period of the year was held in conjunction with Super Bowl Sunday. The remaining crackdown periods for this year are tied to Memorial Day, Independence Day, National Over the Limit-Under Arrest enforcement, Halloween and the Christmas holiday season.

So, friends, they're telling us in advance, in the newspapers, and on TV, that they're going to stop us for no reason whatsoever and see whether we smell like "the odor of alcoholic beverage." And if we do, they intend to do the whole nine.

I love having DWI business, and I'm great at defending these cases, and I defend a huge number of them.

But please, even though I would love to have your business, please don't drink and drive. Please take a cab, or have a designated driver, or stay at home, or sleep on the floor. If you're going to drink, just don't get behind the wheel. And, also, please don't get in the passenger seat when the driver's impaired. Please.